


sometimes, its better not to know

by soapyconnor



Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Found Family, Hi this fic is dark so, I dont want to put anymore tags cos i dont wanna ruin it, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:40:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22163434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soapyconnor/pseuds/soapyconnor
Summary: five times lewis nixon had no idea what the hell he was doing, and one time he did
Relationships: Lewis Nixon/Richard Winters, mention of Bill Guarnere/George Luz/Joe Toye
Comments: 3
Kudos: 34





	sometimes, its better not to know

**Author's Note:**

> howdy, this is my first b.o.b fic so . . . sorry if its bad, esp characterization wise  
> follow me on tumblr: lieutenantwinters  
> follow me on twitter: heggsys

1| Luz

Presenting seemed to be the biggest thing on most of the boys’ minds these days. Ever since Guarnere sauntered into his second hour English class smelling like an alpha, all the conversations he heard the boys getting into were about presenting.

“I swear t’ God, if I don’t present next, I’m gonna shoot myself,” Lewis heard Muck groan, and he looked up to see said student slumping down into his desk. Guarnere, who was just a few desks ahead, turned and glanced over his shoulder.

“You ain’t gonna present next,” Guarnere barked out, “Look at ya! You’re a twig. You’ll be lucky to present before we graduate.” Muck seemed a little indignant at that, everyone seemed to have grown a little fearful of Guarnere since he presented. It had been nearly a month since Bill had been shown as the alpha everyone knew he was gonna be, and these sophomores were itching for it to be their turn.

Lewis smirked to himself, and shook his head. “Get back to work,” he said, pretending not to notice Luz rising from his seat so he could plop himself in Guarnere’s lap. Joe Toye turned around, resting a forearm on Bill’s desk. Lewis wasn’t so sure what the deal was between those three, and figured there was probably a betting pool somewhere amongst the staff, but he never had time to investigate. Most of the kids _did_ get back to work, and Lewis noticed Muck being amongst the few who did, although very reluctantly.

“Sir?” Lewis looked up, and raised an eyebrow upon seeing that it was Penkala who spoke up. Penkala worked his bottom lip between his teeth. “Sir, when did . . . when did you . . .”

“Let me stop you there, Penkala,” Lewis said, but let out a laugh, hoping to ease the kid’s embarrassment. “Just don’t worry about it.” Then, he leveled the entire class with a serious look. “Now, seriously, get back to work. Sobel’s making rounds today.”

Most of his class shuddered, and got back to work. However, Luz didn’t leave Guarnere’s lap. That in and of itself wasn’t odd. When Luz got comfortable, it was hard to get the kid to move. But the mention of Sobel always got him to move back to his seat. Lewis considered if he should say anything about it, but considering both Luz and Guarnere were doing their work, he decided to let it slide.

They got particularly lucky that Sobel didn’t make his rounds to Lewis’ classroom till fourth period, and most of them had dispersed to other classes. He wouldn’t have most of the same kids in his class again until after lunch, which made the middle of his day go by painfully slow.

Speirs had lunch duty today with him, and he collapsed into the spot next to him, watching as kids filed to get their lunch. Speirs nodded at Lewis in acknowledgment, but didn’t speak. “What’d Carwood pack ya?” Lewis asked with a snort, watching as Speirs dug into his bag. “Did he leave ya a little love note?”

“If anything, I should be asking you.” Speirs smirked at him, “You two are sick.”

Lewis grinned, and shrugged. He didn’t find a note in his bag, but beneath his shirt there were enough marks to remind him that he didn’t need a note. He tucked into his meal, casually asking Ron about his classes and day, keeping an eye on the students. Malarkey, Muck, and Penkala were trying to incite a food fight, like usual, but seeing Sobel walk through the cafeteria put a stop to that before it could even start.

“Have you noticed something wrong with George Luz?”

“Huh?” Lewis jerked his gaze to Ron, who was staring out into the crowd. Lewis followed his gaze, and saw Luz sitting on Guarnere’s lap still. From this angle, he couldn’t tell if the kid was asleep or not. “He was very clingy with Guarnere during second period, but I didn’t think nothing of it.”

Ron didn’t remove his gaze from the table. “He paid attention during my class.” Lewis arched an eyebrow. While he admired Ron as a teacher, the man often had to deal with students falling asleep. Luz was either asleep, or causing so many distractions that Ron would have to send him out into the hall.

“Huh.”

“Yeah.” The corner of Ron’s lips twitched, and he shook his head. “Either the kid is falling sick, or something is wrong.”

“Could he be presenting?”

Ron shrugged. “Don’t know. I don’t want to alarm the kid, though.” Ron tucked into his food, then added, “He has your class afterwards, don’t he?”

“I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Ron nodded, and they both went quiet once more, trying to eat as much as they could before they’d have to go back to class. Lewis glanced at Luz occasionally, and noticed that both Guarnere and Toye looked a little concerned, as well as their table mates. He watched as Toye tried to offer Luz some water, and Luz shrank away.

Lewis began to consider his next move—if he should get up and go to the table, check in on his students, or leave it be. It could be that Luz just wasn’t feeling well, and there was no reason to worry. Toye and Guarnere would take care of him, make sure he got to the nurse if anything bad were to happen.

Lewis frowned, staring down at his food as he pushed it around the plate. He glanced at Ron, and could tell that the man was thinking something similar. Before he could even suggest to Speirs that they should go over, Luz shouted, “God dammit, stop _touching_ me!”

Both their heads shot up, eyes immediately landing on the table. Luz was standing, his hackles raised, and he was staring Toye down. Guarnere had rose to his feet, and reached out towards Luz, but the kid batted Guarnere’s hand away. Lewis could hear Guarnere trying to get Luz to calm down, but the kid was snarling, batting away any attempt Guarnere made. _Shit_ , Lewis thought, as Luz shouted, “Stop fucking touching me!”

“I ain’t fucking touching you, ya fucking loon,” Guarnere spat, glaring at Luz. Toye reached out, placing a hand on Guarnere’s shoulder. The alpha leaned back, and took a deep breath. “Luz, I think you need to go to the nurse—”

“Shut _up_ —”

“Luz,” Lewis called out as they approached. The kid whipped around, and Lewis had to pause. The kid’s pupils were blown wide, and a sheen of sweat covered his forehead, matting his hair down. Lewis felt Speirs’ shoulder brush his own, and Luz’s eyes snapped to Speirs for a moment. “You—”

Luz lurched forward, and Lewis stepped back, hands going up and immediately looking for Speirs for help. Speirs jumped back as Luz buried his face in Lewis’ shirt, hands fisted tightly into the fabric. “Mr. Nixon,” Luz croaked out, “I don’t feel good.”

The shift in tone was a little odd to Lewis. He placed his hands on Luz’s shoulder, and gently tried to tug the kid off, but Luz let out a whimper, so Lewis relented. “I know, Luz, we need to get you to the nurse.” Luz nodded against his chest, and Lewis looked up at Toye and Guarnere, who both looked immensely hurt. “Come on, kid—”

“Shit,” he heard Speirs curse, and before Lewis could ask, he heard, “Nixon! Bring Luz to my office.”

Lewis groaned inwardly, glancing over his shoulder to see Sobel. “He needs a nurse, Sobel—”

“He will see a nurse once I’m done with him,” Sobel called back, before turning on heel. Lewis cursed inwardly, looking down at Luz as the kid wrapped his arms around Lewis’ chest, his cheek pressed right above his heart.

Lewis sighed. “Come on, kid.” He wrapped his arms around the kid in turn, as Luz seemed to have little to no strength, and stumbled as Lewis half-carried, half-guided Luz towards the office. He glanced over his shoulder to see Toye and Guarnere still standing by the table, clearly wanting to follow, even as Speirs barked, “Everyone, back into your seats.”

“What’s happening to me, Mr. Nixon?” Luz croaked, dragging Lewis’ attention back to him. He looked down, to see Luz staring up at him. He realized just how fucking _young_ Luz was, and whatever was going on with him, he was fucking terrified. If the kid was presenting, it was a horrible experience. Lewis had witnessed quite a few people present, and it never looked anything like this.

“I don’t know, Luz, but you’ll be all right,” he said, reassuringly patting his shoulder. Luz stumbled, and Lewis had to catch him to prevent him from collapsing to the floor.

Luz whimpered. “Sobel’s gonna kill me.”

At the moment, Lewis really wished that someone came to help him. Kids weren’t really his strong suit, especially kids who were currently in distress. “You’re going to be fine, I’m here.”

Luz shuddered against him, and a sweet smell pierced the air. It left a bitter taste along Lewis’ tongue, and knew if it wasn’t for his bond with Dick, it would be a completely different story. “No,” he heard Luz gasp, and suddenly the kid sagged in his arms. Lewis caught him, heaving him up, even as the kid began to repeat, “No . . . fuck, no—”

“Luz—”

Suddenly, Luz was crying. “Kill me, Mr. Nixon. Please.”

Stunned, he said, “Luz—” but the kid kept on going.

“Please,” he sobbed, burying his face in Lewis’ chest, “Please, I can’t—not—oh God, please Mr. Nixon, it’ll be easier than what they’re gonna—oh God—”

“Luz,” he said, pausing briefly so he could look the kid in the eyes. Lewis couldn’t tell what were tears and what was sweat from the oncoming heat, but he pulled out his handkerchief anyways and wiped at the kid’s face. “It’ll be all right. I ain’t gonna let anything happen to you.”

Luz sniffed, running his teeth over his bottom lip, before nodding. “Th . . . thank you, Mr. Nixon,” he croaked out. Lewis smiled at him, and handed him the handkerchief, allowing the kid to mop up his own face.

“Of course, kid. Now, come on. Sobel will have our hides if we make him wait any longer.” Luz nodded, and after a moment, attempted to stand. Lewis made sure to hold onto the kid still, not trusting Luz’s legs as he led him into the office. The secretary glanced at them momentarily, before jabbing her thumb at the office door. Lewis paused to make sure Luz was all right, before they headed in.

Having to wait for Luz’s parents to show up felt like ages. Lewis refused to leave the kid, despite Sobel telling him to go back to his class. He didn’t trust the man around the kids, he certainly wasn’t going to trust him to look after an omega going through their first heat.

Luz’s parents entered the office without much fanfare. Luz jumped up, his face open and hoping, but his parents just brushed past him, not even acknowledging him. Luz looked so crestfallen, so _hurt_ , that it made Lewis ache just looking at him. “Mr. Luz,” Sobel began, rising to his feet. Lewis’ eyes darted between the two. “As you know, it is school policy that all omegas be removed immediately.”

Luz flinched at that, and shrunk back as his father said, “Of course. He won’t be around much longer, Mr. Sobel.”

Lewis thought back to the long conversations he had with Dick, about all the horrible things that people _did_ to omegas, especially male ones, once they presented. He looked to Luz, and realized that whatever type of family Luz’s was, they weren’t the ones to be nice to omegas. Heart leaping into his throat, he approached the patriarch. “Mr. Luz?”

George’s father turned, brow furrowing. “Who are you?”

“I’m Lewis Nixon, his English teacher. I was there when he presented,” he said, his eyes darting to George, who looked increasingly sick by the moment. “If it would not bother you, I am . . .” The words seemed to choke him, and he struggled to get them out. He really, _really_ didn’t want to say this, “I am interested in purchasing George here off of you.”

He didn’t see George’s reaction, and quite frankly, he really didn’t want to. Didn’t want to see the hurt and betrayal in the kid’s eyes, didn’t want to see the fury that he knew was boiling up inside him. Sobel shot up from his seat. “Hold on a second—”

Lewis shot him a look. “This isn’t a school matter, Sobel. This doesn’t concern you.” He looked back to George’s father. “Now, do you accept it or not?”

George’s father was a simple man, and a simple one to deal with. For two hundred dollars, he was able to purchase the man’s fucking _son_ from him. It hurt, knowing that the man would just so eagerly sell his son like that, but it eased Lewis’ heart knowing that he would at least be safe with him and Dick. Shaking hands with George’s father, he glanced over the man’s shoulder to look at George himself. The kid had collapsed into a chair, and was slumped over, tremors wracking his body. Lewis wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to see his face.

Sobel pursed his lips. “Get him out of here,” Sobel snapped to Lewis. “Take him home, and come back to finish out the day. Your students don’t get to suffer because you have a weak heart.”

Lewis gave him a bitter smile. “Yes, sir,” he said, before he went to gather George, who barely moved as Lewis hefted him to his feet. “Come on, George.”

When they finally exited the office, Lewis wasn’t surprised to see Guarnere and Toye waiting. However, one look from him kept them from approaching George. He guided the kid out, and bundled him into the car before he got in it himself, taking a deep breath.

“. . . Sir,” George began, his voice wavering. Lewis looked to him, and saw an intense fear in the kid’s gaze. “What’s going to happen to me?”

Lewis licked his lips, and forced his car to start. “Well, I’m gonna get you home, first off,” he said, and didn’t miss George shrinking into the seat, “We’re gonna get you set up in the guest room, and let this run its course. Dick will be able to help you through it, or answer any questions you have.”

“. . . Dick, sir?”

Lewis tapped the side of his neck, and George went quiet, nodding briefly. The kid pressed his forehead against the cool glass, and exhaled, his breath causing the window to fog over. “After my heats through, sir?”

Lewis paused, mulling the thought over in his head. “Well . . . you’re certainly going to have a lot more time on your hands,” he said, slowing at a stop sign. “Dick will be able to help you. We’ll figure something out, and help you with whatever you want to do.”

“. . . And what are my options?”

Lewis shrugged. “Just about anything you can think of, kid,” he said. They were quiet the rest of the car ride home, and Lewis was extremely relieved when they pulled into the driveway. He saw Dick looking through the window, and could tell the man was probably confused as to why he was home so early. Lewis helped George out of the car, a reassuring hand placed on the small of his back as he led him inside.

George jumped as soon as he saw Dick, surprised that the omega was at the door to meet them. Dick’s nose crinkled at the smell of omega in heat. “Who’s this?” he asked, looking George up and down.

George shrunk back, but Lewis put both his hands on his shoulders, attempting to reassure him as best as he could. “His name is George—he’s a student of mine,” he said calmly, and George looked up at him with a furrowed brow. “He’ll be living with us for a while.”

“Hm.” Dick studied Lewis, before he nodded. “Come along, I’ll show you to the guest room. This your first heat, George?” Dick asked, and Lewis sighed in relief as George’s shoulders relaxed.

“Yes, sir,” George replied, glancing over his shoulder. Lewis nodded, and George easily followed Dick towards the guest room. Smelling the ease in the air, Lewis took it as an opportunity to leave.

Sliding into bed later that evening, Lewis wrapped an arm around Dick’s chest. Dick hummed as he slowly woke up. “What took you so long to get home?” Dick murmured, turning to kiss Lewis as he ran a hand down the man’s chest.

“Sobel called a meeting,” he murmured, “And of course, wanted to use it as an excuse to berate all of us, even though it was just aimed at me.” Lewis kissed Dick’s shoulder blade. Dick hummed again, sinking into his embrace. “How’s George?”

“He’s doing relatively well . . .” Dick yawned. “Was he in a relationship of any kind?”

Lewis’ eyebrows furrowed. The only thing he could do, really, was answer truthfully. “It’s a bet amongst staff, but I think so? He’s awfully close to two boys.”

“Either of them present yet?”

“Yeah, one . . .” Lewis frowned, then leaned over Dick, staring down at him. “What are you trying to suggest?”

Dick shrugged. “Just in the way it happened, and the intensity in his heat, it would suggest that it was triggered by something. That’s it.” Dick ran a hand through Lewis’ hair. “I feel awful for him.”

The corner of Lewis’ mouth twitched. “I hate to say it, but this is the better option for him.” They went quiet, Dick’s fingers running through his hair, and Lewis stroking along the man’s hip. “Dick . . . about this whole thing—”

“George explained the situation to me,” Dick said, slowly smiling. “I would much rather prefer this than anything else.” Dick pressed a kiss to Lewis’ forehead. “You did good.”

The corner of Lew’s mouth twitched. “Even though we just adopted a child and I didn’t tell you about it?”

Dick shrugged. “Your mother’s gonna be happy.”

Lewis laughed. “Yes, she definitely will be.” He nuzzled against the bond mark, slowly cantering his hips against Dick’s hips. “Doesn’t mean we can’t try.”

Dick chuckled, and ran a hand through Lewis’ hair, pressing a chaste kiss against his lips. “Goodnight, Lew.”

Toye and Guarnere looked completely lost the next day. Lewis noticed when the two walked past him, that Toye had presented. Something that he thought would have the kid beaming and flaunting it, was muddled down by a sad, depressed scent. They both flinched when they caught a whiff of Luz’s scent on Lewis, and he couldn’t help but feel bad for the two of them. They were clearly lost.

It wasn’t until eighth period when he bothered to say anything. Both were in his class, and continued to look like a pair of sad sacks. Multiple times throughout the day he caught them looking towards Luz’s vacant seat.

As the bell rang, Lewis called out, “Guarnere, Toye. I would like to speak with you.” Both boys looked incredibly tense as they made their way over, rocking on their heels. Toye flinched when he saw Lewis writing on a sheet of paper, surely thinking they were getting detention.

He tore off the piece of paper, and handed it to Guarnere. “Next Thursday, I think it would be fit if you came to visit Luz.”

Toye’s eyes widened slightly, while Guarnere’s eyebrows furrowed. “Sir?” It was weak, coming from Guarnere. In the two years that Lewis had been teaching him, he had never heard the kid sound like that.

“By next Thursday, his heat will be effectively out of his system. I’m sure he would be happy to see some friendly faces,” Lewis replied, rising to his feet and beginning to pack his things. He had seen Luz earlier that morning before coming to work—while the kid had looked worse for wear, he seemed happy, at least. Although, Lewis would be happy to, to know that he wasn’t going to be sold off like cattle. Lewis wasn’t entirely sure if George’s heat would go on that long, but it was better safe than sorry.

“You mean that—that George isn’t gonna—” Toye said, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

“George is going to be completely fine.” Seeing two alphas completely concerned over someone who had presented as an omega was a good sign. Lewis remembered in high school not even being slightly disturbed when friends of his had disappeared. He knew he had a good feeling about this class. “Although, he has to live with me now, so I don’t know just how happy he can be with this situation.”

Guarnere grinned. “Better than Mr. Speirs, sir.” He stared down at the sheet like it was the Bible, before he nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

“Don’t mention it.” He waved a hand. “Now, go on, get . . .” He paused, suddenly remembering something. “Oh, and don’t be giving my address out to anyone, you hear?”

Both boys grinned. “Don’t worry, sir. We won’t give it out to anyone.”

2| Liebgott

Students were beginning to disappear. The quickness and effectiveness of it made Lewis’ stomach churn. Most were not students he had on a regular basis, or even knew that well. But one day, a student would be in his class, smiling and laughing, the next day they would be gone. Completely removed from the system, and wouldn’t even be shown as an option on his attendance sheet. It was unnerving, and some of the other teachers began to devise plans to help their students, to make sure that they didn’t end up being sold off. It hadn’t been working well so far—the only student they had managed to save was Luz. Women were treated far better off—at least you still saw the women around town, unbonded and living life, just without an education. The one and only time Lewis had seen a male student after they had presented as an omega, it was in a grocery store. The kid was barely older than sixteen, and already being totted around by an alpha in their late twenties. Lewis flinched when he saw that the kid was already pregnant, and if he had to guess, it’d happen during the kid’s first heat. Dick had paled upon seeing the kid, and immediately requested to leave.

Who was Lewis to deny him, when he himself felt sick?

But George Luz was someone they could save. Someone they _had_ saved. Hell, the kid just about grinned so much his face was nearly frozen in that position. Dick was pretty much the kid’s idol, and Dick was rather smitten by him, too. It probably helped that Guarnere and Toye showed up quite frequently, taking him out on little dates and being downright sweet to him. It was a little sickening, and a little confusing, but hell, young love was quite a drug.

Lewis scrubbed a hand over his face. Finals week had taken hold, and most teachers had been too busy and stressed trying to get all their shit done to appease Sobel that they hadn’t been able to pay attention to the changes in the student body. He ran his eyes over the class, relieved to see much of his fourth hour class remained. He didn’t know these students as well as some of the others, but he’d be damned if he missed that any of his students disappeared.

A couple of blurry figures moved past the window, and there was a loud scuffling. Lewis narrowed his eyes. While that wasn’t unusual—students often were let out early, and didn’t think of their fellow students taking exams—he could hear loud talking, which sounded extremely aggressive. Students were usually shouting happily through the hallways, glad to be done with exams or glad to be done with a class that had kicked their ass.

He attempted to shrug it off, quietly telling himself that it was nothing, perhaps the students were just pissed because they felt like they had been ripped off by a teacher. Hell, he knew a lot of students who had felt that way back when Sobel taught physical education. It wasn’t until he heard a loud scream followed by the sounds of a body hitting a floor did it _really_ catch his attention.

Lewis leapt to his feet, immediately heading to the door. “Stay here,” he snapped to his students, not even bothering to tell them to keep to themselves, knowing this test was well and truly fucked the moment he left the classroom. But he heard the screams getting louder, and more ferocious, and he couldn’t _stand it_.

Heading quickly towards the sound, he met Speirs and Harry Welsh in the hallway. “You see anything?” he asked as the three of them followed the noises. Students were peeking out of classrooms and study rooms, their eyes wide. Luckily, they weren’t attracted to the sound. A smell began to waft into the hallways, and it felt like it was choking Lewis, but he pushed through it.

“Saw a group of students run past with a kid,” Speirs said, “Wasn’t able to see who.”

“Most of them were alphas,” Welsh supplied, “Maybe it’s some sort of hazing thing.”

“We’ll find out.”

And soon enough, as they turned down the west wing, they ran into a truly horrific sight. Joseph Liebgott had been forced onto his hands and knees, two different men had him pinned down as the group leader began to work at his belt. Liebgott had clearly put up a fight—he had a busted lip and a blooming black eye, as well as some cuts along his face. There were about two or three other boys that were watching, clearly eager to take their turn. Lewis’ stomach dropped to his feet when he smelled slick, but the scent of anger was stronger. How the boys could stand to be next to Liebgott when he smelt like a pissed off bull, he would never know.

At the sight of the three of them, the observers took off. Speirs shouted after them, and the three remaining students who were terrorizing Liebgott looked up. Their faces flushed, and they shouted at the others to run as both Speirs and Welsh started to hunt them down. Harry Welsh was a favorite amongst the students, but, well . . . he had his bad side, just like anyone else. The teachers hurtled over Liebgott, shouting at the perpetrators, as Lewis slid to the kid’s side.

Liebgott, furious, spat blood onto the linoleum floor and wiped at his nose. He rose to his feet, hand keeping his torn trousers around his hips. “Liebgott—” Lewis began, reaching a hand out to steady the kid, who looked about six seconds away from tearing off into a sprint after his attackers. “Hey—”

“Get your hands off me,” Liebgott snarled, and Lewis promptly did so. However, he put himself between Liebgott and the other end of the hallway. He _really_ didn’t want to explain to Sobel or anyone else that an omega attempted to murder six alphas.

“Liebgott,” he called out, as the omega attempted to push past him, “Lieb, please, it’ll be all right. Welsh and Speirs are taking care of them—”

“If they hadn’t jumped me,” Liebgott spat, wiping at his nose. “They wouldn’t need to.”

He really admired the kid’s spirit. Hell, he could handle an angry kid over a sad one any day. “Yeah, I’m aware. You nearly broke Guarnere’s jaw in middle school.” Liebgott perked up a bit, cocking his head at Lewis. “You really didn’t think that it would make it up through the grapevine?”

Liebgott shrugged, but there was a pleased smile playing at his lips. Lewis carefully put a gentle hand on Liebgott’s shoulder, hoping he made it abundantly clear that he could shrug it off if he wanted too. “But, Lieb, you’re injured, and we need to get this taken care of.” Lieb sniffed, and attempted _again_ to wipe the blood away from his nose. It was replaced by another stream a moment later. “And we’re gonna have to get you out of here before Sobel finds out.”

A shudder ran through Lieb, and Lewis was immensely grateful that Sobel was something to get these kids to think clearly. Liebgott chewed on his bottom lip, as Lewis carefully attempted to ask, “Will your parents be supportive of your status?”

Liebgott laughed. “No,” he said, swiping his hair back. “No one is. Not if you’re a dude.” Then, he gave Lewis a lopsided grin. “Does this mean I’m getting the George Luz treatment, prof?”

Lewis arched an eyebrow. “Well . . . yes, I suppose, if that’s what you want. Speirs has the room.” Lewis couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him as he watched Liebgott’s face scrunch up. “However, you’ll have to share a room with Luz.”

“Better that than a whore house, wouldn’t you say?”

The reality of the situation settled in again, and Lewis solemnly nodded. “Yeah . . . it would.” He forced himself to take a deep breath. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”

“Another one?” Dick asked with a raised eyebrow as Lewis pulled into the driveway. Luckily, students had nearly two hours for lunch during finals week, so Lewis wouldn’t have to be back at the high school until one, giving him plenty of time to get Lieb situated. Dick and Luz were sitting on the front porch, Dick with a book in his hand and Luz attempting to knit. The first time he saw Luz with his furrowed brow, concentrating deeply as he knitted, he thought it had been a joke. He even made a comment to Dick later that night, saying that he didn’t need to teach Luz ‘omega things’. He had been _very_ surprised to find out the kid had wanted to do it, and seeing him attempting to on the porch reminded Lewis of just how _badly_ he needed to find something else for both of them.

Luz perked up when he saw Lieb. “Lieb!” he shouted, rushing up from his chair to embrace the other. Liebgott’s eyes went wide, but he quickly embraced Luz as well. “Hell, you too? The fuck happened?” Luz was already pushing Liebgott inside the house, their voices becoming distant as Lieb began to recollect what had happened. Dick watched them go with a careful parental gaze, but there was a sadness there that Lewis wanted to make go away.

Lewis sat down on the porch next to Dick, dragging a rocking chair over, gently taking the other’s hand. “I was able to get to him before anything bad happened.”

“Being attacked _is_ something bad, Lew.”

Lewis tried really hard not to flinch. “I know, but . . . I just—” he scratched at his cheek. “I just . . . feel better, _knowing_ that I got there.” Dick nodded, leaning heavily back into the chair. Lewis licked his lips. “Sorry . . . uh, for springing another one—”

“Don’t ever apologize for this,” Dick replied firmly, and when their eyes locked, Lewis could practically feel just how _angry_ Dick felt at the fact Lewis would even consider bringing these kids into their home a burden. “However, we will need a bigger house.”

“I’ll get right on that.” It was something that they had planned on doing. Dick liked animals, liked farm life, and it would be something that Dick could do to earn money right under the government’s nose, as long as Lewis sent the produce in. Having an expanding home . . . well, it just made everything a little more urgent.

“What’s the kid’s name?” Dick asked after a moment.

“Joseph Liebgott.” Lewis ran his thumb over the back of Dick’s hand, who promptly leaned over to rest his head on Lew’s shoulder. “He’s a good kid. Incredibly smart. He should’ve been able to go to college.”

“He can still go to college,” Dick pointed out, “As long as we get him suppressants.”

Lewis squeezed his hand. “If it’s something he wants,” he murmured, “There’s talks of letting omega males and females get jobs like a secretary—”

“You see either of those boys being a secretary?”

“No, but it’s a start.” Lewis clutched his hand tightly. “I don’t want them to do things like knitting or just homemaking in general because it’s something they feel they _have_ to do because of what they are.” He turned his head, pressing his lips against Dick’s forehead. “You still like that farm idea?”

“Why, thinking of doing it?”

“I think a farm would be a good idea in general,” Lewis said with a shrug. He wondered how much Dick remembered of their talk about what he and the other staff had been planning on doing. He knew Speirs and Lipton already had plans in the making to buy land so they could create a safehouse for omegas, but Lewis couldn’t be completely sure if Dick knew that Lewis wanted to be involved. “Especially if I keep bringing home misfits.”

“Well,” Dick said, climbing into Lewis’ lap so he could wrap his arms around the man’s neck. “As a matter of fact, I’d love a farm.”

Lewis smiled up at him, loving the feeling of his mate running his fingers through his hair. “A farm, a dog and a barn cat, and our practically grown adult children?”

Dick rolled his eyes, but pressed a chaste kiss to Lewis’ lips. “They’re not our children.”

“George calls us ‘Ma and pa’.”

Dick flushed a rather pretty color, and said, “Well . . . It doesn’t mean that he considers us parents.” Lewis smiled, murmuring a ‘whatever you say’ before pulling Dick into a long, deep kiss. By the time they pulled apart, Dick was still a rather dark shade of pink. “I . . . I better go and check to see that they’re doing all right,” he said, climbing out of Lewis’ lap.

“Let me know if you need any help,” Lewis called, leaning back in the porch chair and pulled out a cig, staring up at the overhang, dreading the conversation he knew he was going to have to have when he returned to work.

3| Malarkey

Being able to move into the new farmhouse couldn’t come quick enough. Lieb and George were fine sharing the room, but Lewis felt nothing but a sense of dread. There was going to be somebody who needed their help, who needed a home, and Lewis felt like they wouldn’t be able to provide for them correctly. Sure, they had the house lined up, all that they needed was the purchase to go through and to sell off their current house, but it would be little over a month before they’d be able to do so.

He tried to keep these thoughts hidden from Dick, knowing that it would do the other man no good. _It’s not doing you any good, either_ , a small voice chimed in the back of his head, but he shoved it out of his mind. It _was_ something to be concerned about, even though kids disappearing from the school records had nearly stopped. He hoped that it would stay that way for a couple of more months, until they were settled into the new house.

Of course, he just had to be proved wrong.

Someone pounding on their door at 3am was never a good sign. The fact that it was so loud that it pulled _Lewis_ out of a deep sleep without any prompting from Dick didn’t make it any better. Lewis climbed from the bed, motioning at Dick to stay, and could only sigh as the omega threw back the blankets, pulling on a robe. As Lewis made his way towards the staircase, the door to the once guest bedroom cracked open. George Luz stuck his head out, and Lieb popped his head out beneath the other. “What’s goin’ on?” George slurred, clearly trying to fight sleep.

“Don’t know, but stay up here.” It fell on deaf ears, as George and Lieb immediately slid out of their rooms. Unlike Dick, who followed Lewis all the way to the door, they hovered on the staircase.

Lewis peered through the peephole, surprised to see a student and his family. The student looked absolutely terrified, and the kid’s mother was holding onto him. Lewis glanced at the boys, wondering if they had anything to do with this, before he opened the door. “Care to explain why you’re knocking on my door at three in the morning?” he said, rubbing a hand over his face.

Lewis was extremely lucky that he had woken up enough where he was able to keep himself from falling when Don Malarkey was suddenly pushed into him. He put an arm around the kid to stabilize him, his eyes shooting the father. The smell of omega washed over him, and Lewis suddenly came to the painful realization as to what this was all about. Standing upright, he put himself between Don and his parents. He felt bad for the kid’s mother—this clearly wasn’t her idea, clearly wasn’t what she wanted. But the father . . . “You’re the omega sympathizer, ain’t you?” the father spat so hard his spit nailed Lewis in the eye, and he was furiously controlling himself to not launch himself at the man and kill him. “I don’t care what you to do to him,” the man said, gesturing a hand towards his son. “I want him gone, and out of my hair.”

Furious, Lewis tightened his jaw. “Consider him gone,” he snarled, storming into the kitchen, and returning moments later with a check. He shoved it at the man’s chest, and added, “Get the hell off of my property.”

He swung the door closed, not wanting to listen to Malarkey’s father shout at how it wasn’t enough. He didn’t care. He really fuckin’ didn’t. Lewis turned towards Don, and felt a spark of anger, before he forced it down.

Don was shaking, and couldn’t meet Lewis’ gaze. “I-I’m sorry, sir,” he choked out, “I told h-him not too, I’m s-sorry—”

“It’s all right,” he said, softly, “It doesn’t matter. You’re safe, now.” He placed a hand on Don’s shoulder, and the omega immediately crumbled, leaning forward to bury his face in Lewis’ chest, gripping tightly at Lewis’ pajama shirt. Lewis raised his head, his eyes meeting Dick’s, before movement caught his eye. George and Joe were hovering by Dick’s side, George clearly wanting to make a move, while Joe rocked on his heels. It was probably jarring; last time they had seen each other, they were all at school, unaware of what was to come. But now, they’re stuck at their English teacher’s house after being sold by their family.

“Don?” Of course, it ended up being Joe who spoke first. Don’s head snapped up, whipping around to look at Joe and George. Don wiped at his eyes, and Lewis instinctually put a hand at the back of the kid’s neck. “Hey. Fuck ‘em.”

There was a moment of silence, and Dick went to chastise Joe, when Don let out a quiet chuckle. That seemed to snap George out of it, and next thing Lewis knew, Don was engulfed by the two omegas and being led to the bedroom. Lewis blinked rapidly, and only broke out of it when he felt Dick’s head tuck beneath his chin. Lewis wrapped an arm around him, eyes falling shut as he heard the door close upstairs.

Dick didn’t speak, and Lewis couldn’t really find it in him to say anything. They both knew what had to happen, but knew what was going to _keep_ happening. It seemed like a never-ending cycle, and Lewis began to wonder, how many of his students would he have to take care of, how many of them would be there one day, and gone the next.

Lewis buried his face in Dick’s hair, ignoring the shudder that ran through his body.

4| Perconte

They had rushed moving to the farm after Don came into their presence. Two teens in one room had _barely_ worked, but three? Over Lew’s dead fucking body.

The house had begun to feel like a home. It began to feel . . . Normal, to say the least. Months ago, if he had been told that three of his students would feel more like family than his own, he would have laughed. Hell, he’d laugh _now_.

Whatever had been in the water for the first semester seemed to have gone away, or at least gotten out of everyone’s systems. He and Speirs kept an eye on all of their students, and broke into Sobel’s office if a student failed to show to school. The relief that washed over them both when they found out the student was sick or out of town was _immense_.

The bathroom was quiet when Lewis entered it early in the morning. He checked his watch, and leaned his head back against the wall. School would not start for another twenty-minutes, but students were already showing up, and Lewis was trying _really_ hard not to have a headache.

As he checked over his appearance in the mirror, he heard something echo out from the stalls. He frowned, and listened. When he heard the sound again—which he couldn’t for the life of him figure out—he quietly backed up, and peered beneath the stalls. He barely caught the glimpse of a book bag, before it was jerked up off of the floor. He heard a gasp, and what sounded like muffled sobbing.

He frowned, and straightened up, flattening his suit jacket as he headed to the stall. Gently, he rapped his knuckles against the door. “Hello?”

Silence followed his knock. He waited a couple of seconds, and went to knock again, when he heard a quivering voice, “M-Mr. Nixon?”

“Perconte?” he called, and jumped back when the door swung open, revealing Frank Perconte’s tear stained face. “What the hell happened, Perconte?” Perconte rubbed at his face, his shoulders shaking. He either didn’t hear what Lewis asked, or just didn’t want to hear it. He gave the kid a moment to compose himself, but when that didn’t happen, he placed a hand on the kid’s shoulder. “Talk to me.”

Perconte shrugged off his hand, shrinking away from him. Lewis took the hint and backed up, giving the kid as much space as he could. Lewis glanced towards the entrance to the bathroom, before he jerked his thumb towards it. “C’mon, Perconte, we’ll go to my room and talk.” He paused. “Is that all right?”

Only once Perconte nodded did he begin the walk to his room. And only once the door was shut behind them, and Perconte curled up in a chair, did the kid dare to speak. “Sir,” he whimpered, “What happened to Luz and Liebgott? A-and Malarkey?”

Lewis folded his hands on the table. “They live with me,” he said, calmly. At Perconte’s flinch, he quickly added, “That’s it. They live at my house, eat my food . . .” He shrugged. “I am more of a protector, to keep them from alphas who think that omegas are their property.”

Perconte swallowed. _Loudly_.

A scent caught Lewis’ nose, and he stilled. At Perconte’s _flinch_ , Lewis calmly asked, “Frank . . . what is this _really_ about?”

Students, normally, would unabashedly look their teacher’s in the eye, even when they were in trouble. Fuck, he remembered the one time a student had gotten into his face, how they had smiled at him like a demon, and wouldn’t look away. Now, he would do anything to get Frank to just _look at him_.

“I’m . . . I’m an omega, sir,” Frank choked out. It didn’t surprise Lewis at all, he expected it. People really didn’t cry over being an alpha or a beta. “I presented last week, a-and I’ve been hiding it, but I’ve just . . .” It was like the dam had been opened, but Lewis didn’t want to stop him. “There’s been so much stuff on the news lately. About all the omegas they’ve found that had been sold by their parents. I’ve even asked my folks about it, and the things they said . . .” Frank swallowed. “I don’t want that to happen to me, sir.”

Lewis nodded, reaching out to place a gentle hand on the kid’s shoulder. Frank leaned into the touch, but didn’t look up. Lewis didn’t really understand how people could treat their family like this, how they could turn their back on them once they presented. Nonetheless, he rubbed the kid’s shoulder, and said, “Would you like to come home with me, Frank?”

The kid’s head snapped up, and the look of relief on his face made Lewis want to wrap the kid up and hide him away from the world. Frank nodded rapidly, and said, “Y-yeah, thank you, Mr. Nixon. I’d . . . I’d really appreciate it.”

Lewis made a mental note, reminding himself that he would have to at least call Perconte’s parents and let them know. God forbid anyone care about their omega child. “Do you think you can make it through the rest of the day without letting anyone know?” Lewis asked.

Frank nodded. “Yeah . . .” the kid glanced down at his hands, picking at the dry skin along his nails. “I’m sorry, Mr. Nixon. For all of this.”

“Hey, if anything, I should be sorry. You have to live with me and George Luz now.”

That managed to get a laugh out of Perconte, and Lewis felt like it was a small victory.

5| Roe

School was out for the summer, and both Don and George had gotten on Lewis about adopting a dog. While Lewis loved dogs, he hadn’t had one since Diana, and well . . . Diana had been hit by a car, and Lewis wasn’t really quite over it. He would have been able to handle it if it was just Don and George coming after him, but very soon Lieb and Frank started coming after him too.

Lewis sighed, pinching at his nose. “ _No_ , guys, we’re not getting a dog,” he said, sitting on the front porch next to Dick. Dick looked deeply amused as he rocked the porch swing beneath them. “You guys don’t even help Dick look after the livestock.”

“ _Not_ true,” George said with a snort, “I help him with the cows every morning, Perconte helps him with the chickens, Don helps him with the pigs, Lieb helps with the horses, and . . .” George paused, cocking his head at Lewis. “What do _you_ help with?”

Dick laughed at that, while Lewis just jerked back and looked at George with wide eyes. Lewis shot a look at Dick and waved at the boys. “Dick, help me,” he said, helplessly.

Dick just smiled at him, and said, “It would be nice to have a guard dog around the house, Lew.”

Lewis’ jaw dropped open, and he clutched at his chest. The boys burst out laughing and whooped and hollered, all of their attention on Lewis now, waiting for his response. “I can’t believe it . . . my own husband . . . betraying me.” He turned his gaze onto the boys. George was clutching at Don and Lieb, a wide grin across his face. Don had his arms wrapped around Perconte, but Joe still looked completely unsure. “How about this, boys—I’ll think about it.”

George started hopping on his feet. “That’s not a no!” George said with a grin, before the four boys ran off, Dick calling after them, asking them to do their chores, even though they had all day. They watched them go, Lew and Dick leaning on each other. While they all did their chores without complaint _now_ , they had only been running the farm for about a month, and Lewis dreaded to think about what would happen once the newness wore off. The farm was expensive (but thanks to Stanhope Nixon not paying attention to how much came out of his bank account, it didn’t really matter) and Lew didn’t really want the farm to fall onto Dick’s shoulders entirely. He knew if that happened, Dick would suffer in silence and wouldn’t tell him. It unnerved him to say the least, but if the boys continued to do what they were supposed to do . . .

“Who’s that?”

“Hm?”

A car flew up the driveway, spraying gravel into the grass. It was a car Lewis didn’t recognize, and he quickly rose to his feet, walking to the edge of the porch. He heard Dick shouting at the boys to stay away from the front of the house, but Lew’s attention was directly on the car that came to a grinding halt near the house. A kid was already climbing out of it before it was even in park, and Lew couldn’t shake the tension out of his muscles. Some part of him recognized this kid, but he definitely wasn’t a student. The dark-haired kid was rapidly approaching, while the driver was a lot slower climbing from the car. “You Lewis Nixon?” the dark-haired kid called before Lewis even got a chance to respond.

“That I am.”

The scent of omega washed over him, and Lewis paused for a moment. All right, this was definitely a different situation than Lew originally thought. Lewis glanced to the other man, a blond, who was removing something from the back seat. His gaze was dragged back to the omega, and he could feel Dick hovering at his shoulder. “We need your help. A friend of mine is getting sold at an auction,” the omega begged, although it definitely didn’t _sound_ like one. The driver was now approaching, holding a little girl’s hand. “And we need you to help us buy him.”

Lewis’ brow furrowed. “Is there a reason you can’t buy him yourself?” The blond alpha that approached look very familiar, but yet again, Lewis couldn’t put a name to the face. Part of him felt weird to be well known enough in this town where people would just come up to him and ask him for such a thing, especially when he didn’t know the omega in question.

“He’s a Southern Belle,” the omega said, looking frustrated, “Ain’t something we can just _afford_.”

“And you think I can?” Dick’s hand came up to rest on his shoulder. Lewis forced himself to relax.

“Your father is Stanhope Nixon, ain’t he?” the omega snapped. “You _should_ be able to!”

Lewis wanted to snap back, wanted to tell him how he had already taken enough from his dad, and that if he wasn’t careful, he could end up in deep shit. He had pushed it far enough, and didn’t think he’d be able to afford a bid on a ‘Southern Belle’. But he swallowed his tongue as the omega’s alpha came up, and muttered, “C’mon, Johnny, I told ya it was too much to ask. We should just get going.”

The omega, John, pursed his lips. “Eugene deserves better, Bull,” he insisted at his alpha, turning back towards Lewis. “You got to help us. I know it’s a lot to ask, but _please_. I know Gene, I know him too well, and I know him being sold off will make things worse.”

Lewis swallowed, glancing back at Dick. The man’s gaze was extremely guarded, and Lewis _hated_ that, knowing that Dick was just going to let him make his choice, even if he disapproved. Lew turned back around, going to tell them sorry, but his eyes landed on the two’s daughter. She was hiding behind the man—Bull—and was staring up at him with scared, dark brown eyes. So, he swallowed once more, and hoped that Stanhope continued to be oblivious to his bank account.

“I’ll go with you,” Lewis said, “You said he’s being auctioned off now, yes?”

John brightened visibly, and nodded. “Yeah, yeah, come on, thank you so much—” John grasped at Lewis’ hand.

“John.” When Dick spoke up, Lewis was confused, and very much taken by surprise. Did he _not_ want Lewis to help them? Before he could question his partner, Dick continued, “Your name is John . . . yes? If your friend is being auctioned, I think it would be best if you and your daughter stayed here.”

It was a reasonable thing to point out, but Lew could tell those words were not going to sit well with John. Thankfully, Bull spoke up, agreeing with Dick and saying that it’d be better if the two lone alphas went instead. Getting John to agree, surprisingly, wasn’t hard, and as Lewis sat in the passenger seat, it sank in just what he was going to have to do. He slumped back into his seat, and stared out the window.

Eugene Roe was a little like Ron Speirs. He was quiet, had a glower that could kill a man, and probably could. He, like Ron, spoke very little. After Lewis had paid the very large sum of five grand, Eugene did nothing but stare him down. He didn’t speak to Bull, and just sat in the backseat of the car as they returned home. The entire thing was rather upsetting, and so had being in that fuckin’ house. There had been old alphas with gaggles of omegas around them as they bid for Eugene. They must have decided he wasn’t worth it, for Lewis to get him for such a small amount.

“Gene!” John shouted as soon as they got out of the car. Eugene didn’t respond to John, didn’t blink either. He just pulled away from John, and headed into the house. It certainly wasn’t the response Lewis was expecting, and from the look on John’s face, he could tell the feeling was incredibly mutual.

“I thought you knew him?”

John swallowed. “I do.” His eyes darted to the house, and his eyes hardened. “But if you just got sold off, wouldn’t you act the same way?”

Well. Lewis couldn’t argue with that. “You’re right,” he said, giving the man a nod of understanding. “Well . . . For now, I think it’d be best if you two leave.” Lewis ran a hand through his hair. “I’d say you’re free to visit, but if Gene doesn’t want to see you, then I can’t force him to.”

It was clear John was going to argue, but Bull stepped up. “Can we have your number?” Bull asked. “We’ll call and see before we would. Even if he don’t want to see us, it’d be nice to have updates.” Then, he lowered his voice, “We really do care about him, sir.”

“I know you do.” Lewis wrote down their phone number, and handed it to them. “Sorry couldn’t be more a help.”

“You’d done enough. Thank you.” This time it was John who spoke up. They said their goodbyes, and left, John cradling his daughter to his chest. Lewis let out the breath he didn’t even know he was holding.

As Dick approached him, Lewis asked, “Did John tell you how he knew to come to us?”

“You, apparently, helped them a couple years back. Got Bull a job when no one would hire him, since he didn’t finish high school,” Dick replied. “Said you were real nice to John, too, even though he was an omega. Kept Bull from losing his job many a time.”

“He works for my dad?” That was the only place he had ever helped someone get a job. It was a simple post position—taking mail and important equipment from one location to the next—but it had been a job nonetheless.

Dick nodded. “It’s how he knew you were related to Stanhope.” A smile quirked at the man’s lips. “Didn’t know you were such a hero.”

Lewis looked to the house. “I’m not. Not when that kid looks like that.” Lewis looked to the barn, and saw the other four boys rough housing next to it, the pigs shoving their head through the wooden boards, one of them snuffling at George’s hair as Perconte shoved him into the dirt. They were all laughing, so Lewis really _hoped_ it was all in good fun.

Dick pulled Lewis into his arms, burying his face against Lewis’ throat. “Lew . . .”

“I know, I know, give him time . . .” Lewis wrapped his arms around him in turn. “It’s just weird, having the other boys who were open and talkative, who I knew, and now there’s this kid who I know _nothing_ about.”

Dick pressed a kiss against the man’s chin. “We’ll get through this.”

Eugene was a mystery. He didn’t really interact with any of the boys, nor with Dick or Lewis. He came out of his room to eat, go to the bathroom, or do laundry, but other than that he spent all of his time in his new room. The boys really tried to get him to come out and interact, but Eugene just regarded them coldly, before closing the door in their face. Eugene rejected any of the calls from John and Bull, and Lewis was starting to get a little frustrated.

Lewis looked to the group of boys, who were all lying in various states in the living room, attempting to play a card game, while Dick was reading a book next to him, his cheek resting against Lewis’ shoulder. All the boys had done the last couple of weeks was try to get to know Eugene, to make things better, but had been treated with cold disdain. Nevertheless, they had done their chores and been all around good kids, like usual, even if they were being treated awfully.

“All right,” Lewis finally said, rising to his feet. “Come on, boys. We’re going out.” Dick looked up at him with a furrowed brow, but the boys rose to their feet nonetheless.

“Where we goin’?” Lieb asked, looking at Lew with a shit ton of skepticism.

“You’ll find out when we get there.” Lewis glanced at Dick. “Wanna go get Eugene?”

An eyebrow shot up towards Dick’s hairline. “He’s not going to want to come,” he said, placing his bookmark inbetween the pages nonetheless, and rising to his feet.

“I’ll get ‘im,” Luz said with a small grin. Lewis smiled back at him, and watched as George headed towards Eugene’s room. They all waited in silence, and Lewis had to hide his grin when Eugene followed George into the living room. Eugene looked at them all warily, and tried to sit the farthest away from everyone in the car, but in such a tight space, it was incredibly hard.

Once the boys started talking amongst themselves and forgot about their impromptu drive, Dick leaned over and murmured, “Where are we goin’, Lew?”

Lewis shot him a smile, and pressed a finger to his lips. Dick laughed, but nodded anyways, and settled back into the seat. Once they got into town, Dick kept shooting him knowing looks, like he figured out what was going on.

Lewis climbed out of the car, and leaned against the roof as the boys got out one by one, laughing about some sort of inside joke, before they realized where they were at. Or, everyone except Perconte. “What’s wrong?” Perconte asked, before Luz sharply elbowed him. A wide grin spread across his face as the original four turned to him, while Eugene just continued to look pissed about his own existence.

“You serious?” It was Lieb, surprisingly, who spoke first.

“Well, yeah,” Lewis said, “Felt like you guys made a fair point, and you’ve done enough work . . .” The boys perked up, and suddenly a chorus rang out. Eugene just glanced at them, before looking away. “Only stipulation is that you all have to agree on a dog.”

“Oh, that shouldn’t be an issue,” George said, waving a hand before he, Perconte, Lieb, and Don headed into the shelter. Eugene remained by the car until Lewis and Dick began to approach the building.

“Well, this was a nice surprise,” Dick said as they entered the building. The beta behind the counter looked relieved upon seeing Lew, and let them into the back. “The boys certainly deserve such a surprise.”

Lewis just nodded, gently grasping Dick’s hand as they watched the boys move from kennel to kennel. He wasn’t really paying attention to Eugene, knowing the kid wouldn’t really do anything in public. The boys were clearly excited, but were taking their choice very seriously.

After a while, Lewis felt a tug at his shirt. He turned to see Dick crowding in his space. Before he could ask, Dick nodded over his shoulder. What resulted, was seeing Eugene smiling at a cage. A white paw was outstretched from between the bars, following Eugene’s fingers as he messed with the cat. Lewis turned back to Dick, who had already turned away to follow the boys. Lewis held in a sigh, and pinched his nose, before he approached Eugene.

Eugene turned at his approach, his face immediately becoming guarded. He didn’t pull his hand away from the cat, though, and Lewis could see a remainder of the happiness he had shown just moments prior.

“If there was someplace you would rather go,” Lewis began, “I’ll gladly let you go. If you want to move in with John and Bull, that’s all right. We can give you scent suppressors if that’s not what you want, either.”

“And why would you do that? You own me.”

“I don’t own anyone,” Lewis shot back. “Those papers I signed? They’re burned. There’s no record of me ever owning you, nor anyone else. I don’t know what you thought was going on, but it’s been near a month, and I think I deserve a little more credit.”

“So those boys? You don’t own them either, then.”

“I don’t. They were students of mine, students who would have been sold off to the highest bidder, but unlike you, they wouldn’t have had the luxury of knowing they were going to some place that could support them. They’re more like sons to me than anything else.”

Eugene pursed his lips. “So, you helped me out of the goodness of your heart. Is that it? Because John asked you to.”

“Believe or not, yeah.” Lewis ran a hand through his hair. “Look. You don’t have to like us. You don’t have to like me, and if you really want to, you can move out.”

Eugene’s eyes shot over Lewis’ shoulder for a brief second, before he turned back to the cat. “My entire life, I was told if I turned out as an omega, I would be sold, and be the husband of a businessman.” He motioned his hands outward. “Now, I’m here. With no guidance, with no idea what to do, and those kids are acting like this is normal. That they aren’t omegas, that their world hasn’t been irrevocably changed.” Eugene lowered his eyes. “I don’t understand.”

Lewis reached out, stopping for a moment before he put a hand on Eugene’s shoulder. “I know this is a shock for you, but they,” he said, motioning to the boys, who were talking loudly as a dog attempted to lick Dick’s face, “Do know they’re omegas. They know that the world has fucked them over, but they have jobs. They get paid, even if it is illegally. They’re happy they’re alive, and while they know that they can’t do what betas and alphas get to do, they’re _trying_ to make the most of it.” He lowered his voice. “They want you to do that, too.”

Eugene bowed his head. Lewis took this as an opportunity to continue. “I know they can be a lot, but they’re trying really hard to make you feel included, and help you realize that whatever expectations that used to be on you, are gone. You don’t have to act in a certain way anymore.”

Eugene ran his tongue over his teeth, and shrunk back from Lewis. Before Lew could ask what was going on, he heard rapidly approaching footsteps. He looked behind him to see Don and George. “We found our dog,” Don said, grinning while George looked like he was going to burst.

“All right,” Lewis said with a smile. “Give me a moment.” Once the boys left, he turned towards Eugene, pressing a hand against his shoulder. “Think about it,” he said, before he went to find someone to put the adoption fee through for the dog.

As Lewis signed the adoption papers and began to pay, Lewis paused, and thought it over. When he told the lady what he was going to do, she smiled widely at him, and gave him another set of papers. When Dick approached him and saw what he was doing, he just raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. The boys were too focused on the dog to notice what was going around them, and it was clear Eugene was lost in his own thoughts. They didn’t notice the carrier being put on the foot on the car between Dick’s legs, too busy making sure they got enough dog food, toys, and other necessities. Lewis made sure that all the boys were in the backseat before the shelter worker came out with the items for their _other_ purchase. He made sure to give her a tip, wanting her to know how much he appreciated her help.

The dog squirmed in Dick’s lap, and tried to leap at Lew once he got inside. Lew wasn’t quite sure what breed it was, but it was pretty cute. “Do we have to keep the same name it was given?” Frank asked.

“Of course!” Joe snapped. “It won’t respond to any other name!” Dick and Lew glanced at each other as the boys began to argue. Neither really wanted to tell them to stop, as it would disguise the meowing coming from the carrier from between Dick’s legs.

Eugene made a beeline for his room once they got home, and Lewis let him. He helped Dick bring the items and the cat carrier inside, and the boys immediately noticed. “What’s _that_?” Don asked, narrowing his eyes as the dog yipped and attempted to lick at his face.

“It’s to help Eugene get adjusted,” Dick said, softly. “We appreciate you trying to help him, but we think he needs something . . . different.”

Originally, Lewis thought he couldn’t love Dick anymore than he already did. But Dick managing to save his ass and make it sound like something they had both discussed. Then, Lewis worried that the boys would feel like Eugene was being treated differently from them.

“Oh. Yeah, that’s cool,” Joe said with a shrug, as George slipped a collar around the dog’s neck. “Is it okay if we take Sybil outside?” At the sudden attention of all four kids, Lewis couldn’t help but splutter out a ‘sure’. His shoulders slumped when they left.

“Thanks for the cover, Dick,” Lewis murmured.

“They would have understood, regardless,” Dick said, shoving his face against Lewis’ throat, a hum escaping the both of them. “Now, you should take her to Eugene before she gets uncomfortable in that carrier.”

Picking up the carrier, Lewis began to head towards Eugene’s room, when a thought struck him. He turned around and looked at Dick, who was busy organizing their new purchases. Dick looked up when he noticed Lewis staring. “Something wrong?”

“I was just thinking . . .” he said, holding up the carrier. “Sorry it’s not a barn cat, but I hope just a regular cat will do.”

Dick blinked, then he let out a laugh, waving him off. Lewis grinned, before the cat’s meowing brought him out of his thoughts. Eugene’s room was on the bottom floor, far away from the other boys, who had immediately claimed all the rooms close to one another. There were still a couple of rooms by the others that he could have claimed, but in usual Eugene style . . .

Lewis shook his head, and knocked on Eugene’s door. “I’m coming in,” he called, ignoring the kid’s call of ‘go away’. Eugene was curled up on his bed, surrounded in one of the many heat blankets that they had given him. All Lewis could see were the black tufts of hair sticking out. Opening the carrier, Lewis gently put his hand beneath the cat’s stomach and pulled her out. He laid her on Eugene’s bed, listening to her meow loudly, and he smiled as the cat climbed onto Eugene, causing the kid to sit up right.

Eugene looked confused as the cat crawled into his lap, and got situated, rubbing her head against his chest. Eugene blinked, before he placed his hands on the cat, gently rubbing at her ears. “I don’t expect a thank you or anything like that,” Lewis quickly said, watching as the kid slowly became relaxed. Eugene looked up at that. “Like I said, we wanna make sure you’re happy and comfortable here. If it means you need a feline friend, then . . .” Lewis shrugged. “She’s all yours. We got food and everything for her out in the kitchen if you’d like to look at it.”

Lewis rocked on his heels, before he turned to let Eugene have some time alone. He heard a quiet, “Thank you.”

“Like I said, kid, don’t mention it,” Lewis gave him a smile, before he left, closing the door behind him.

A howl of laughter caught Lewis’ attention. “I’ll call you back,” he said, hanging up on the butcher before the man could say a word. Dick was gone for the day, and Lewis didn’t really want his mate to come home to a mess . . . or worse, someone with a broken bone.

He quickly made his way into the backyard, where he saw George and Don perched on the fence that led to the horse pasture, Sybil lying on the ground beneath their feet. George was nearly falling off of the fence he was laughing so hard. Lewis squinted. Inside the fence, he saw three figures riding along the side of the fence. There was Joe, who looked calm and calculated as he guided his horse around. Then there was Frank, who was bouncing in the saddle and whose horse looked like he was about ready to retaliate. Finally, Lewis spotted _Eugene_ of all people, who was riding around just as confidently as Liebgott. However, Eugene looked solemn as he rode, while Joe wore a shit-eating grin.

“Perco, you sure you want to keep doin’ this?” George called, as Frank’s horse stopped and stomped her hooves.

“So much for those skills you’ve been bragging to us all about,” Don added, nudging George with his elbow.

Frank frowned. “Fuck you guys,” he called in turn, and Lewis wasn’t quite sure what the kid did, but next thing he knew the horse was whinnying and took the bit between her teeth, yanking Frank off of the saddle. The kid crashed to the ground head first, his head slamming into the grass, neck bending at an odd angle before his back hit the ground, and crumpled.

“Shit!” Joe shouted as Frank’s horse began to buck, nearly stomping the fallen rider and Eugene, who had gotten off his horse with a speed that Lewis hadn’t seen. Then, she took off, Joe urging his horse forward to chase her.

George and Don had abandoned their spot on the fence, running to Frank’s side. By the time Lewis got there, Frank was staring up at the sky and blinking, looking at the others while Eugene spoke to him in a low voice. “How you feel, Perconte?” Eugene murmured, “Besides the obvious. Can you feel this?” Lewis knelt down next to Perconte, eyes roaming the kid’s body as Eugene gently pressed his fingers against different spots.

Eventually, Joe wandered over, looming over all of them, fear and regret plain as day on his face. “I . . .” Frank began eventually, blinking. He seemed to come to, and attempted to sit up, but Eugene placed his palm flat against his chest, keeping him down. “I think I’m fine?”

“That’s not reassuring, Perconte,” Eugene said with a snort. He looked up at Lewis. “You should call an ambulance.”

“No!” Perconte whined, while the other three boys began to panic. “I don’t want to go to the hospital.”

All the boys turned their attention on him, all varying levels of concern and fear on their features. Moments like this made him remember _he_ was the adult, that _he_ had to figure out what was best for these kids. It made him a little sick, if he were going to be honest. He turned to Frank, who had a hand fisted in Lewis’ trousers. “Here,” Lewis said, touching parts of Frank’s skull before his fingers travelled down Perconte’s neck. “Nothing feels broken?”

Frank rapidly shoot his head. Lewis looked at Joe. “Here. Support him and help him sit up.” Eugene bit his tongue, but helped Frank sit up regardless. Frank winced, but didn’t cry out, or mention that he could no longer feel a part of his body. “Still just feel sore?” At Frank’s nod, Lewis lightly patted him on the thigh. “All right. All of you, help him get inside, and gather some ice in a towel. Keep his head and neck iced, and let’s just see how you feel in a couple of hours.”

“Think I’ll just feel worse,” Frank groaned, as Eugene put one of his arms around his shoulder, Joe supporting the other side. Together, they heaved him to his feet. George broke out of the weird trance he was in.

“I’m going to go get the ice ready!” George shouted, before he took off towards the house, Sybil barking loudly as she followed him.

Don opened the gate for them, and closed it hurriedly behind them. Lewis could hear Don asking Frank what he wanted, if he wanted some of his heat blankets or wanted help into his pajamas. Lewis smiled to himself, and gently shook his head.

He turned to the horses, and to the culprit of Frank’s unfortunate injury. The horse made soft chuffing sounds as Lewis approached, and she pressed her muzzle into Lewis’ outstretched palm. “You’ve been an awful girl,” Lewis chided, trying to look stern even as the horse reached up to nibble at his hair. “Let’s get you three inside.”

Returning to the house, he listened momentarily. He could hear Eugene’s soft, deep voice speaking in the quiet of the house. When he entered, he found Frank on the couch, covered in heat blankets, with George pressing ice wrapped in a towel to the top of his head. There was another towel wrapped around his neck, and Don was busy in the kitchen, placing large chunks of ice inside a towel, while Joe made snide comments next to him.

“If you don’t shut up, Joe, I’m gonna hit you.”

“All I’m saying is, if you break up the ice, he’s going to be much more comfortable than if you don’t!” Joe snorted. “I mean, look at it. You took it straight from the ice tray.”

“It won’t melt as fast if it’s in one piece!”

Tuning out the two boys, Lewis headed into the living room and knelt next to Frank. Eugene looked at him, and went to move away, but Frank’s grip tightened so hard that Eugene’s hand began to look discolored, so he remained where he was. “How do you feel, Frank?” Lewis asked.

“Pretty good, pa,” Frank replied, and Lewis blinked, surprised. “Eugene gave me some . . . um . . . what was it?”

“Tylenol,” Eugene supplied, and Frank nodded, a pleased smile on his face. _Well_ , Lewis thought, _that explains why he unabashedly called me ‘pa’._

Lewis nodded, reaching over to rub Frank’s shoulder, before he turned to Eugene. “You did good, kid.”

“It was nothing,” Eugene murmured, ducking his head.

“You kidding?” George replied with a laugh. “I ain’t never seen anyone move so fast. You treated him like a real professional.”

Joe leapt over the back of the couch, landing on Frank’s legs, who just let out a quiet ‘ow’. Don slapped Joe as he came over, but Joe didn’t move, just stretched out and shoved his legs beneath Frank’s heat blanket. Don lifted up Frank’s blanket to shove some of the towels beneath him, as Joe said, “It sucks you can’t become a professional doctor. You have a skill, Gene.”

Eugene flushed at the comment, and looked away. Lewis hid a grin, and said, “All right, let’s leave Frank be. The kid needs his rest.”

Joe didn’t move, his head tucked against his forearm and he let out a yawn, slumping down on the couch. Don rose to his feet, and George motioned for him to follow. For what, Lewis didn’t know, and he wasn’t quite sure he _wanted_ to know.

“Stay with me?” Frank asked Eugene, looking up at him with wide, pleading eyes.

“You’ll be fine, Perconte,” Eugene said, face flushed.

“ _Please_?” Frank begged. “Just in case?”

Eugene’s lips pursed, but he nodded. Frank pulled back the blankets, motioning for Eugene to climb in. It was rather amusing to watch Eugene try to make himself as small as possible next to Frank, while Frank just tugged him closer. It took a little bit of adjusting, but eventually they were comfortable, and Lewis could see the steady rise and fall of Frank’s chest.

Lewis rose to his feet, and placed a hand gently on Eugene’s shoulder. The kid’s gaze snapped to him, but mouth pressed into a thin line. “You did good, kid.”

Eugene swallowed, and nodded, face scrunching up when Frank pressed his face against Eugene’s throat. “Not sure I did,” the kid murmured.

“Don’t worry,” Lewis replied with a grin, already knowing all the ways the boys were going to get him into their good graces. “You will.”

+1.

“Your mother has invited us to Christmas,” Dick said, from his spot wrapped in heat blankets. Within the next couple of hours, his husband’s heat would fully set in, and he would barely be able to move from the bed. His hair was freshly washed and combed, and he smelled like peppermint. It made Lewis anxious for the hours in which he would get to be wrapped up with him, and get to lavish him for days.

“Has she, now?” He hummed, not looking up from the letter he was writing.

“Yes,” Dick responded, flipping over the letter. “She mentions my upcoming heat, and would like to wish us luck with it. She hopes that we will have news for her when we come for Christmas.”

Slowly leaning back in the chair, Lewis let out a sigh. His mother had nagged them for children for years, and while they had tried, they stopped putting effort into it. Now with the boys living with them, they felt no need to try. They had children; they were a family.

“You’ve told her of our situation, yes?” Lewis asked with a frown, leaning back to look at Dick.

“I’ve written her with each addition to our family, have mentioned that we aren’t trying, and she saw for herself when she visited us with Blanche on Eugene’s birthday,” Dick said, hands falling to the bed and his head resting back against the pillows. “She didn’t mention the boys coming, either.”

“Of course, she wouldn’t mention that,” Lewis responded, climbing from his chair and joining Dick in the bed. “She doesn’t want them to come, as they are not ‘family’.”

“But they _are_ ,” Dick insisted as he curled up next to Lewis. “I wish she could see that.”

Kissing his forehead, he pulled Dick as close to him as possible, and murmured, “She won’t. My mother is as stubborn as you are.” Dick snorted at that. “We won’t go if the boys aren’t invited. I’ll write to her and tell her as such.”

“She won’t be pleased.”

“My mother won’t be pleased unless she gets her way,” Lewis pointed out, slowly rolling on top of Dick. “But for now, you need not to worry about that.”

Dick ran his fingers through Lewis’ hair. “I just wish we could get along.”

“I’ve said it before, I don’t need my mother to be happy.”

Dick pushed his face against the bonding mark, and inhaled sharply. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Lewis murmured, feeling heat rushing into his body. He could worry about his mother later.

“Dad,” Don called, and a scuffling sound in the hallway. Joe, Don, and George came in, fighting over a letter in Don’s hand. “Get off me!” Don snapped, elbowing the two before he leapt onto Dick and Lewis’ bed, jostling Dick from his nest of blankets. Dick’s heat was over with, but the man was still exhausted and needed some rest. This wasn’t the first time the boys burst into their bedroom, and it was definitely not going to be the last. Lewis was lucky he learned his lesson the first time, and always got dressed once Dick’s heat was over with.

Dick pulled his head out from under the blankets, reaching over to Don and tugging him against him. Don handed Lewis the letter, and snapped at his brothers as they all leapt into the bed. Frank and Eugene were sitting in the doorway.

Lewis groaned as he saw who the letter was from, and he opened it, reading it as quickly as possible. Curse the boys for ruining his good mood—or more accurately, his mother. “Shit,” he muttered, as Eugene and Frank came in, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“What is it?” Dick called, hidden by the boys.

“My mother,” Lewis said, handing the letter over. Frank crawled up on the bed to read the letter, but Eugene remained on the edge of the bed. The boys crowded around Dick’s head to read the letter.

“What the _fuck_?” George said without thinking, and he snapped his jaw shut when Dick gave him a look.

“Although I disapprove of the language, I can’t help but agree,” Dick murmured, folding the letter and lying in the bed.

Lewis pursed his lips into a thin line, and climbed from the bed. He could feel their gaze on him as he sat on his desk, and they all remained quiet as Lewis wrote. Eventually, he rose, turning towards the bed with a bed and the letter. “Sign this. All of you.”

“Lew . . .” Dick chastised.

“No,” Lewis said with a shake of his head. “They read the letter, and she deserves to know that they did. This is from us,” he motioned to each of them. “And she will receive it as such.”

George took it from Lewis, and handed the letter and pen to Dick, who promptly read Lewis’ letter. He gave his husband a skeptical look. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I never know what I’m doing, Dick,” Lewis said, “But this is something I’m sure of.”

“A letter from your son, Mrs. Nixon.”

Doris looked up, eyebrows furrowing together, but nevertheless, she took the letter from the maid. In all of her years, she hadn’t received a letter from her son, only her son’s husband. It was odd to say the least, but whatever it was, it had to be of great importance.

She opened the letter, letting out a hum.

_Mother,_

_To say I’m displeased with your letter is an understatement. Your words were ignorant, to say the very least, and as someone who is not around, I find it hard to believe that you would make such hasty accusations. However, your writing hasn’t changed since I was a boy, and I’m very disappointed in you to act like you know my family when you do not._

_They may not share my last name, may not share my blood, but these boys are my family. To act like they are not, and to act as if they are using me . . . I dearly wish you would come to your senses. Have they acted improper to you in such a way where you would expect that of them? As far as I recall, they had been nothing but polite to you, even when you brushed them off and made snide remarks about the things that they had given their brother._

_No. We will not be attending Christmas. Not even if you extend the invitation to our sons, we will not come. Not unless you can find it in yourself to apologize for being such a child. Even then, we may not come._

_You can judge the way I live, judge the way I treat ‘unsavory omegas’, but you will not judge my sons. Not when they have gone through so much already, and have one thing that they have never been allowed to properly have. I am happy, they are happy, and you continue to try to change that._

_You want grandchildren? You have them. It’s very unlikely Dick or I may ever have any of our own, but even if we do, we will not allow you to see them as you have treated your current ones in an unsavory matter._

_The Nixons,_

_Lewis, Dick, George, Joe, Donald, Frank, and Eugene_


End file.
